Resettlement after service: a guide for Army, Navy and Air Force personnel
Resettlement is the help the government gives you to move from service into civilian work: training before you leave, job placement and self-employment schemes after. This guide explains who runs it, when to start and where to apply.
Facts checked against official sources on 4 Nov 2026
Who runs resettlement
The Directorate General Resettlement (DGR) is an inter-service organisation under the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, Ministry of Defence. It runs resettlement training, registration and placement, and self-employment schemes. It has five Directorate Resettlement Zones (North, South, East, West and Central) at Army Command headquarters.
Its website is dgrindia.gov.in. Older DGR pages on desw.gov.in have moved, so use dgrindia.gov.in for forms and current lists.
Source: DGR, About DGR; DGR (dgrindia.gov.in), checked 4 Nov 2026
Your Sainik Board
The Kendriya Sainik Board advises the state Sainik Welfare departments. There are 34 Rajya Sainik Boards and 410 Zila Sainik Boards, which run resettlement and welfare schemes. After you settle, your Zila Sainik Board is your local office: it verifies forms for DGR training and sponsors JCOs and ORs for DGR job assistance.
Source: DESW, About Kendriya Sainik Board; DGR, JCO/OR training application form (PDF); DGR, Job assistance, checked 4 Nov 2026
When to start
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Last 2 years of service | Apply for a DGR resettlement course. Serving officers, JCOs and ORs are eligible in this window. |
| When you are released | Keep your discharge book and PPO safe, and get in touch with the Zila Sainik Board in the district where you settle. |
| Up to 3 years after release (officers, or until age 60) | Retired officers can still do a DGR course in this window. |
| After release | Register with DGR (officers register online), use DGR job assistance and job fairs, and look at DGR self-employment schemes. |
Source: DGR, About DGR; DGR, Online registration (officers), checked 4 Nov 2026
Documents to keep ready
DGR's training application form for ex-servicemen asks for copies of these. Keep copies ready, and follow each application's own list of documents.
- Discharge book
- Ex-serviceman identity card
- PPO (pension payment order)
- Aadhaar card
Source: DGR, JCO/OR training application form (PDF), checked 4 Nov 2026
Read next
- DGR resettlement courses
Who can attend, who pays, the one-course rule and how to apply.
- DGR placement and self-employment schemes
Security agencies, coal transport, CNG stations, fuel outlets, Mother Dairy and more.
- Jobs for ex-servicemen
Reservation, age relaxation and current jobs.
Frequently asked questions
What does DGR do?
DGR, under the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, runs resettlement training for personnel about to retire, registration and job placement, and self-employment schemes for ex-servicemen.
When should I start planning resettlement?
In your last 2 years of service. That is when serving officers, JCOs and ORs can do a DGR resettlement course.
Where is my nearest Sainik Board?
Your Zila Sainik Board is in the district where you settle. The Kendriya Sainik Board, under the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare, oversees the 34 Rajya and 410 Zila Sainik Boards.
Plan the move with people who have made it
Create a free VetNet account to find jobs from employers hiring veterans and talk to veterans who have already resettled.